Geographical distribution of twelve transferrin alleles in black rats of Asia and Oceania.

About 450 black rats (Rattus rattus) were collected from 25 localities in Asia and Oceania. Their serum transferrins were analyzed by a newly developed thin layer acrylamide gel electrophoresis accompanied with acrinol pretreatment, exhibiting 12 transferrin bands. Generally, Asian type rats (2N=42) had fast-moving transferrins (R-series), Ceylon type (2N=40) moderately moving ones and Oceanian type (2N=38) slowly moving ones (C-series). Exceptionally, in northern India and Pakistan all Asian-type rats had C-series Tf. The possibility that divergence of R-series Tf and C-series Tf had proceeded the karyotypic differentiation from 42 to 38 is proposed. In combination with the previous molecular data, the time of the divergence is roughly estimated between the order of a million years and ten thousand years.